Mechanical toy.



B. F. BAIN.

MECHANICAL TOY.

APPLICATION HLED AUG.'23. 1915.

1, 169,598, Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

FIG. 1

WITNESSES INVENTOR Tm: COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

B. F. BAlN.

MECHANICAL TOY.

APPLICATION man AUG. 23, 1915.

Patented J an. 25, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAIII c0.. WASHINGTON. 114 c.

BENJAMIN F. BAIN, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

ivrnonanroan Toy.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 25, 1916.

Application filed August 23, 1915.. Serial No. 46,986.

1 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. BAIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in lvlechanical Toys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to toys, and particularly to that type of toys embodying a movable loadcarrying car or bucket operated by gravity.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple toy which canvbe made and soldat low cost, which is durable, strong and not liable to get out of order, and which embodies a supply hopper and a movable bucket for receiving and discharging loads therefrom and is so arranged as to enable said load to be dumped in any selected position around the hopper at the will of the operator.

The invention comprises the toy hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side view of one form of toy embodying the invention, the full lines indicating the loading position and the dotted lines the dumping position; Fig. 2 is a front view thereof, partly broken out; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 3'3, Fig. 2; and Fig. l is a detail view of the rack and pinion mechanism.

The toy shown in the drawings comprises a base 1 for supporting the movable parts of the mechanism. Said base is preferably of the folding type, so that it can be readily collapsed to enable the structure to be packed in compact form for shipping or storing. t comprises two members, marked 2 and 3, pivotally connected at their centers on a vertical axis, such as by connecting them to vertical spindle 4 headed over b low the lower member and having a collar 5 above the upper member, so that the two members can be turned relatively to each other between said head and collar, and also having an upwardly ext-ending shaft portion for a purpose to bedescribed. At their outer ends said members are bent downwardly to form feet 6 resting on the floor or other support.

On the base 1 is supported a suitable frame 7 carrying the operative parts of the mechanism. Said frame comprises upright side members 8 connected by spaced cross bars 9 near their lower ends, which bars are aierced at their centers to provide openings to receive the upwardly extending shaft portion of the spindle l, so that the frame is journaled upon said shaft and can turn about a vertical axis. At its upper end said frame supports a supply hopper or bin 10, having a bottom opening controlled by a suitable gate or valve, for example, a scoop or trough 11 pivoted at 13 to the hopper, and provided with a depending arm 12, and arranged when in one position to shut off the discharge of material from the hopper and in another position to permit said material to flow out of the hopper. Said gate is shown of the same construction as that in my patent for mechanical toy, granted Aug. 31, 1915, No. 1,151,919, and therefore requires no further description, but of course any other suitable valve or gate may be used, if desired.

The operating medium, which may be sand. line shot, marbles, or other similar material, is delivered from the hopper through the gate or valve 11 into a bucket or car 1%, which may be rigidly attached to but is shown as pivotally connected on I a horizontal axis at 15 to an arm 16 which is pivotally connected at 17' on a horizontal axis to the frame 7. As shown, thepivots 17 are located on one side of the frame 7 and the arm 16 extends upwardly on an incline and 'crosse' the frame 7, so that in loading position of the car, as shown in full lines, Fig. 1, the bucket it lies on the opposite side of said frame from the pivots 17. In this position one end of the car has engaged the depending arm 12 of the gate 11 to oscillate said gate to position in which the ma terial flows from the hopper into the car. When the car receives a sufficient load or supply it moves downwardly by gravity, due to the fact that it is located to one side of the pivots l7 connecting the arm 16 to the frame 7. As the car moves downwardly a depending arm 18 thereon lies in contact with a cross portion 16 of the arm 16, so that said car gradually tilts or assumes an inclined position to discharge its load. Preferably the arm 18 is connected" by a flexible member, such as a cord or cable 19, to the frame 7. With this arrangement the cord 19 becomes taut and finally pulls the arm 18 away from the cross portion 16 and produces a sudden tilting or dumping movement, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1. The car or bucket 14 when dumped is returned to loading position bygravity, and therefore is connected to a suitable counterweight. This counterweight, marked 20, is a heavy member connected to the lower end of an arm 21, pivoted intermediate its ends, at a point above the pivots 17, to the frame 7, and having an upwardly extending .portion 22 connected by a rigidlink 23 to the arm 16. The car remains in loading position until it receives sufiicient operating medium, such as sand or the like, to cause it to move downwardly to dumping position against the action of the counterweight 20. In loading position of the car this counterweight lies fairly close to a vertical plane through the pivot of the arm 21, so that thecounterweIght has only a slight effect upon the car. Consequently a minimum load will move the car downwardly. As the car moves downwardly it swings outwardly and its load therefore has an increasing effect. The counterweight also swings outwardly and upwardly with an increasing effect as it moves away from the pivots of the arm 21. The load deposited in the car is sufficient to move it completely to dumping position, in which position the counterweight carrying arm 21 stands out almost horizontally from the frame, with the counterweight 20 pro ducing maximum effect. The counterweight, by gravity, swings downwardly and returns the empty car to initial position to receive another operating load.

The frame 7 may be rotated about the spindle 4: as an axis so as to cause the load carried by the car or bucket to be discharged at any point around said axis. This interests the child because he can exercise his selection of a suitable location for dumping the material from any given position of the supply hopper. The frame may be turned about its axis in any suitable manner, as by grasping said frame or the hopper carried thereby. Preferably, however, suitable means is provided enabling said frame to be rotated about its axis while the toy is operating, and also without touching the frame or any of the parts carried thereby with the hands. As shown, the lower cross bar 9 of the frame has attached to its under surface a small pinion or gear 24, which is a sheet metal disk having outwardly extending prongs bent downwardly out of the plane of said sheet toform the teeth of the gear 2%, and other prongs 26 which are bent upwardly and clenched in openings in'the bar 9. This gear rests directly upon the upper surface of the collar 5, which spaces the frame sufficiently above the member 2 of the base'to enable the gear 2st to rotate above said member. On said member is slidably mounted a rack device 27, whichis a sheet metal member having rack teeth engaging the teeth of the gear 24 and at its end portions being bent around the base member 2, so that it is attached to and'can be moved longitudinally thereon. One end of the device 2'? is bent to form a finger-hold 28, by means of which it may be'operated in turning the frame. The rack carrying portion of the device 2? lies at one side of the member 2, and its opposite end portions lying above the member 2 are bent downwardly to form sharp edges 29 sliding thereon. These edges act as'cleaning members which scrape off from the member 2 any sand which may lodge thereon and might clog or choke the operating devices.

The toy described is of simple construction and readily enables a charge or load of V the-o eratin medium to be dum 38d at any I g l suitable point around the vertical axis of the device. The car traverses its path of movement from hopper to dumping position as long as any operating medium is in the supply hopper, and during such movement the frame 7 can be rotated around its vertical axis by operation of the rack and pinion devices.

That I claim is 1. A. toy, comprising a base, a frame mounted to turn about a vertical axis on said base, a bucket carriedby said frameand arranged to swing on a horizontal axis thereon in a vertical plane from an upper loading position adiacent said vertical axis to ya lower dumping position located outwardly therefrom, and means located in said vertical axis for automatically depositing a load 7 in said bucket in its loading position for moving it to dumping position.

2. A toy, comprising a base, a frame mounted to turn about a vertical axis on said base, a bucket carried by said frame and armounted to turn about a vertical axis on said base, a hopper located in said vertical axis, a

bucket carried by said frame and pivoted to swing in a vertical plane thereonfrom a position adjacent said axistoadumpingposition located outwardly therefrom .and adapted in any position of said frame .to receive loads from said hopper in said first position and move downwardly todumping position, and means whereby said frame may be rotated.

1. A toy, comprising a base, a frame mounted to turn about a vertical axis on said base, a bucket carried by said frame andarranged to swing in a vertical plane from an upper loading position adjacent said axis to a lower dumping position located outwardly therefrom, and a hopper lying in said vertical axis and provided with means to automatically deposit a. load in said bucket when it reaches loading position, said means being operable irrespective of the position of said frame about its axis.

5. A toy, comprising a base, a frame mounted to turn about a vertical axis on said base, a hopper carried by said frame and turning therewith and lying in said vertical axis, a bucket on said frame pivoted to swing in a vertical plane and adapted to receive loads from said hopper and move downwardly to dumping position, a movable delivery gate for controlling the discharge of material from said hopper into said bucket and operable by said bucket in any position of said frame about said axis, and hand-operated means movably mounted on said base for rotating said frame.

6. A toy, comprising a base, a frame mounted to turn about a vertical axis on said base, a hopper carried by said frame and turning therewith and lying in said vertical axis, a bucket carried by said frame and arranged to swing in a vertical plane from an upper loading to a lower dumping position, a movable delivery gate for controlling the discharge of material from said hopper into said bucket and operable by said bucket in any position of said frame about said axis, a gear on said frame, and a rack slidably mounted cn said base and arranged when operated to turn said frame.

7. A toy, comprising a base, a frame mounted to turn about a vertical axis on said base. a hopper carried by said frame and turning therewith, a bucket on said frame mounted to swing in a vertical plane and adapted to receive loads from said hopper and move downwardly to dumping position, a movable delivery gate for controlling the discharge of material from said hopper into said bucket and operable by said bucket in any position of said frame about said axis, and a weighted arm pivoted to said frame and operatively connected to said bucket for returning the same to loading position.

8. A toy, comprising a folding base having two members hinged together on a vertical.,a xis, a frame pivotally connected .to said base .anda'rranged to turn on said axis, a hopperon, said frame and turning therewith, a bucket on said framepivoted to swing in a vertical plane and adapted to receive loads from said hopper and move downwardly to dumping position, and a movable delivery gate for controlling the discharge of material from said hopper into said bucket and operable by said bucket in any. position of said frame about said axis.

9. A toy, comprising a folding base having two members pivotally connected on a vertical axis, a frame pivotally connected to said base on said axis, a hopper thereon, a bucket on said frame pivoted to swing in a vertical plane and adapted to receive loads from said hopper and move downwardly to dumping position, and hand-operated means movably mounted on said base for rotating said frame.

10. A toy, comprising a folding base having two members pivotally connected on a vertical axis, a frame pivotally connected to said base on said axis, a hopper thereon, a bucket on said frame pivoted to swing in a vertical plane and adapted to receive loads from said hopper and move downwardly to dumping position, a gear on said frame, and a rack slidable on one of the members of said base and cooperating with said gear for rotating the frame.

11. A toy, comprising a base, an upright frame, a hopper thereon, an arm pivoted on a horizontal axis at the lower end of the frame, a bucket at the upper end of said arm adapted in loading position to receive a load from said hopper, a second arm pivoted to said frame and carrying a counterweight at one end, and a rigid link connecting said arms for raising said counterweight as the bucket moves downwardly.

12. A toy, comprising a base, an upright frame, a hopper thereon, an arm pivoted on a horizontal axis at the lower end of said frame, a bucket at the upper end of said arm adapted in loading position to receive a load from said hopper, a second arm pivoted to said frame and having a depending portion provided with a counterweight and an upwardly extending portion, and a link connecting said counterweight and bucket arms.

13. A toy, comprising a base, an upright frame, a hopper thereon, an arm pivoted on a horizontal axis at its lower end and at one side of said frame, said arm extending upwardly at an angle and provided with a bucket lying on the other side of said frame and adapted in loading position to receive a load from said hopper, and a counterweight connected to said arm.

14. A toy, comprising a base, an upright frame, a hopper thereon, an arm pivoted on a horizontal axis at its lower end and at one side of said frame, said arm extending upwardly at an angle and provided with a bucket lying on the other side of said frame and adapted in loading position to receive a load from said hopper, a secondarm PIVOtQCl Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing thefCommissioner Washington, IL'G.

upwardly extending portion of said counterweight arm to said bucket arm.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. 7

v BENJAMIN F; BAIN. Witnesses:

ELBERT L. HYDE, SUE B. FRITZ.

of Patents, 

